Research on the tether assisted observation of an asteroid

•A concept of asteroid observation using tethers is proposed.•The dynamic equations of a tethered probe with asteroid's gravity are derived.•The equilibrium points of the system are calculated and the stability is analyzed.•Detailed parametric study and the feasibility validation are conducted.

The exploration of asteroids attracts much attention due to its potential in both scientific research and engineering application. However, the observation of an asteroid is a difficult task as the gravitational attraction of the asteroid is limited and complex. This paper proposes a concept of keeping probes in hovering above the asteroid by space tethers. The dynamics of a tethered probe attached to the surface of an asteroid is analyzed and the equations of motion are derived using Lagrange's equation. Then the equilibrium points of the dynamic system are calculated. The equilibrium tether libration angles are determined by the tether length and tether attaching location, while subjected to the constraint of positive tether tension. Afterwards, the stability of the equilibrium points are studied based on Lyapunov's theory. The variation of the equilibrium points with respect to the tether attaching location is numerically analyzed in the scenarios of different tether lengths. A parametric study of the stability of the equilibrium points is also provided. Finally, the dynamic behavior of a tethered probe perturbed from the equilibrium states is simulated to verify the proposed tether assisted technology for the observation of the asteroid.